Joba to the Bullpen

I have to wonder if this came as a surprise to anyone. The day the Yankees traded Melky Cabrera to the Braves for Javier Vazquez, it was obvious there would only be one spot available in the rotation going into this year. Which begged the question: who is more suitable for the bullpen - Joba or Phil Hughes, and who was more suitable for the 5th starters spot?

Considering Joba excelled as the setup man for Rivera when given the chance 2 years ago and Hughes is a former top 5 starting pitching prospect for the Yankees, whose only reason for not being in the rotation already going into this season, is a series of injuries, the answers seem to have already been provided.

The only reason people wanted to ask the question was the much bally-hooed Joba rules, in which the Yanks had spent much of the last 2 years streatching Jobas' arm out, with an eye towards protecting his health in the years to come. Certainly it is worth questioning the validity of the plan but I'm not sure you can question the attempt to make an effort. There's no denying the shear number of pitchers who at some time in their career come down with arm issues.

Which is the best way to insulate a young pitcher from having problems though is very open for debate, and whether the Yankees are right or wrong in their approach dosn't mean they have to keep Joba in the rotation for the next 10 years to try and justify it.

You'll hear a lot of arguments that the 'Joba rules' actually hindered Chamberlians career up to this point, mostly based on the theory that constant pitch counts can mess with a young players head, which seem to have a valid basis in reason, or an argument that I prefer, that it is generally accepted that the only way to strengthen a muscle is to use it. That seems to make a lot of sense on its face, but ultimatly there just isn't enough information out there right now to know for sure one way or the other, and not enough basis in logic to assume New York, and more specificlly, Brian Cashman, are going to spend the rest of their careers trying to prove they could see the future.

From my side of the couch I say the best way to avoid the inevitable is to embrace the inevitable: ergo sever the elbow tendons of every pitching prospect at the age of 22 and perform Tommy John surgery. In fact I'm not a surgeon but i wonder if you'd even have to sever the tendon to perform the surgery. The way I understand it they take a ligament from the leg and, in the past they would double wrap the arm tendon, and today triple wrap the arm tendon, and many players say their arms feel better than ever before.

I say quadrouple wrap 'em, and if you're running short on tendons how about letting fans become doners. I've already donated my remains to, for all I know, cadaver practice at the local doctors university, you don't think i would donate my ligaments for a chance at another Blue Jays World Series? I guarantee I wouldn't be the only one.